There seems to be a disconnect between companies talking-the-talk and walking-the-walk when it comes to health and safety in the Alberta workplace.
Despite the key findings in the 2025 Alberta Blue Cross (ABC) Employee Wellbeing Report – which overwhelmingly showed that investing in wellness boosts productivity (86 per cent) and retention (72 per cent), and emphasized that leadership commitment is essential for success – the Report revealed that while 90 per cent of organizations view employee wellness as critical, only 50 per cent actually have a formal strategy.
The ABC findings underscored the strategic importance of a commitment to workplace health and safety.
A cohesive wellbeing strategy is considered a business imperative, not just a benefit, linking directly to organizational performance. And that a focus on workplace health and safety is a documented driver of success.
Key elements for successful programs include leadership support, promoting a sense of belonging and fostering a supportive culture. And it also translates to benefits which ultimately impact the business’ bottom line.
An effective focus on workplace health and wellness is undisputably a factor for recruitment, retention and workplace morale.
Stats and trending show that organizations investing in wellness report higher employee motivation, engagement and improved talent attraction.
“There’s a significant gap in reliable data that goes beyond benefits and claims, and truly uncovers the real drivers of a healthy, high-performing workforce – especially in Alberta,” explains Melanie Fuller, ABC’s director of Wellness. “It is why we created the first of its kind, Alberta-centric report. We wanted to determine employer perspectives about where and how they are prioritizing employee wellbeing.”
The ABC findings show that businesses that prioritize wellbeing are proactive with strategic implementation. Organizations that indicated they have a cohesive wellbeing strategy report being more supportive of each driver of organizational wellbeing, compared to organizations without a wellbeing strategy.
“A comprehensive wellbeing strategy creates workplace environments where employees feel valued and see improved productivity, innovation and overall business performance. It’s also key to enabling adaptability and success in a business environment that’s constantly changing.”
The stats and figures in the ABC Report show that that companies with a clearly defined and cohesive wellbeing strategy are four times as likely to highly support career progression as those without a wellbeing strategy; nearly five times as likely to have comprehensive diversity, equity, inclusion and accessibility policies as those without a wellbeing strategy; and report overall higher employee engagement in wellness programs.
While sometimes bogged down in layers of red tape and costs, there is consensus that while workplace health and safety is a constantly changing, it is a critical priority of doing business.
Although the specific sectors, types and areas of workplace health and safety obviously vary, it is undisputedly vital.
“Right now, I’d separate the priorities into two broad buckets,” says knowledgeable Nick Turner, professor and area chair of Organizational Behaviour & Human Resources at the Haskayne School of Business. “The first is the traditional high exposure work we already know about: trades and transport, manufacturing and utilities, natural resources and agriculture, and health occupations.
“The second is a broader set of risks that cut across sectors. In Canada’s new working conditions data, ergonomic strain is the most common physical risk workers report. Health workers report especially high exposure to biological and chemical risks, and to difficult interactions with clients or patients.
“So, the priority list today is not just dramatic accidents. It also includes musculoskeletal injuries, fatigue, workplace violence and psychosocial hazards such as chronic overload, low support and low perceived fairness.
“Heat exposure is also moving up the agenda as climate-related risk grows, especially for outdoor work. In Alberta, prevention efforts are explicitly targeted toward sectors with relatively high injury and illness rates, and toward settings with more complaints or serious incidents.”
He points out that workplace health and safety management is essential for contemporary management.
Poor health and safety create downtime in the obvious way, through an incident that stops work, triggers an investigation or removes someone from the job. But it also creates quieter forms of disruption: pain, fatigue, stress, burnout, distraction, restricted duties and sickness absence.
Review-level evidence shows that workplace interventions can reduce absenteeism, and meta-analytic evidence also links work strain and psychosocial risk to absence. In other words, health and safety is not just a compliance issue.
“It is part of operational reliability, staffing stability and day-to-day performance. It is a core part of effective management,” Turner notes.
In Alberta and other Canadian jurisdictions, the foundation of OHS laws is the internal responsibility system.
All worksite parties have responsibilities for health and safety according to their level of authority and control. Since employers typically have the most control of the work site, they would have the most responsibility for health and safety.
According to Ben Dille, a spokesman for Alberta’s Ministry of Jobs, Economy, Trade and Immigration which oversees the Occupational Health and Safety Act, regulations and codes to ensure safe working conditions across the province, “Investing in occupational health and safety is critical to maintaining a productive, compliant and ethical workplace. Beyond the moral and legal obligation, there are various financial benefits to prioritizing the health and safety of employees.
“Some key advantages include a reduction in workplace injuries, less likely to experience workplace accidents, leading to lower insurance premiums and ensuring safety protocols to prevent accidents also means that companies can save on medical or even litigation costs.”
Dille also emphasizes increased productivity, because work-related injuries or illnesses can lead to employee absenteeism, disrupting business operations. “By ensuring a safe work environment, companies can maintain high productivity levels. Also enhanced employee morale and retention, because surveys show that employees who feel that their health and safety is a priority to their employer are more likely to feel satisfied at work.”
Alberta’s OHS stats do reflect some encouraging changes.
In 2024 (the most recent year for which statistics are available), 170 workers died. Occupational illness accounted for 87 of these deaths, most of which involve workers being exposed to harmful substances, such as asbestos, years or even decades before their deaths.
It’s a positive that, in 2024, Alberta workplace injury rates decreased 5.8 per cent from the previous year and were the lowest in the last five years.
The stats, surveys and trending show the notorious speedbump of red tape. Inside and outside organizations, the reams of OHS rules, regulations, compliance, costs and red tape are unavoidable factors.
WCB Alberta claims volumes have risen significantly, increasing by roughly 50 per cent since 2019.
In 2022 alone, claims increased by about a third compared to the previous year, which has led to higher average employer premium rates to cover the cost of workplace injuries.
“I understand why many businesses, especially smaller ones, experience OHS and WCB processes as administratively heavy,” Haskayne’s Nick Turner empathizes. “The concern is real, but the evidence does not support the idea that regulation is just pointless bureaucracy. Systematic reviews of the evidence show that legislative and regulatory policy can reduce injuries and fatalities and improve compliance.
“So, the better business conversation is not whether protections should be weakened. It’s how compliance can be made clearer, more consistent and easier to navigate while keeping the prevention benefits strong.”
The Ministry’s Ben Dille points out that recent and future updates to the OHS Code make it simpler, easier to follow and remove unnecessary requirements. To combat too much red tape, the updated OHS codes focus on health and safety outcomes rather than prescriptive requirements.
“Good regulation should help employers prevent harm, not just fill out paperwork,” Turner says with enthusiasm.